So You’re Planning a Texas to Las Vegas Cannabis Road Trip
You may have heard, but we wrote a pretty popular guide to help LA visitors plan their Las Vegas cannabis vacation. If you’re flying in, it can still provide you with a lot of great information.
But the thing about Californians? They can legally enjoy recreational cannabis in their home state already. Texans? We know for many of you this is more than a trip, it’s a journey. You might be more inclined to jump in a pickup, crank up some tunes, and see the countryside while you make your way to Vegas.
That’s why we’ve laid out the best stops for a Texas to Vegas marijuana road trip. We’ve even included alternate routes, so you can choose which path you want to take, and if you’re up for it, take the road untraveled on your way back home.
Our alternate paths merge at the beginning of day 3, providing you with 5 entire days of fantastic, interstate, road-tripping sights and scenes.
Day 1 – I-40 West Texas to Fort Sumner New Mexico Highlights
Lubbock, Texas: Taking I-84 sends you straight through Lubbock Texas, the birthplace of Buddy Holly and home to the Buddy Holly Center. While you may enjoy this cultural center if you enjoy 50’s rock n roll, one of the stranger, more unique museums in the entire country rests in Lubbock.
Lubbock, Texas: Enter, the American Wind Power Center. This is the largest windmill museum in the entire United States. Covering 23 acres across a beautiful outdoor landscape and 33,000 square foot building, the largest windmill in the museum is 154 feet in diameter on a 165-foot tall tower. It actually produces enough electricity on its own to power the entire museum complex!
Fort Sumner, New Mexico: The Bosque Redondo Memorial in Fort Sumner, NM is the highest rated museum in Fort Sumner. Visitors frequently remark on the power and emotionality of the museum’s story, exhibits, and message. As a memorial to the imprisoned Navajo and Mescalone citizens by the United States government from 1863 to 1868, it’s a powerful reminder of where we’ve come from and how far we have yet to go.
Day 1 – US-84 West Texas to Roswell New Mexico Highlights
Sweetwater, Texas: TX-70 to I -84 is the perfect time to stop at the National Wasp WWII Museum. What is a WASP? It’s a woman airforce service pilot. This museum shares the story of the women who trained to fly in World War II. The grit involved is astounding, because women could only join the program if they were already capable flyers with pilot’s licenses—training the military willingly gave to male enlistees free of charge.
The program was shuttered after two years, but WASP flyers lost their lives serving their country. These brave women flew aircraft across the country, tested experimental aircraft, and towed targets to be shot at using live ammunition during ground to air fire training exercises.
Roswell, New Mexico: Even visitors with no interest in contemporary art are discovering how amazing a visit to the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art can be. With a 25 year collection spanning 22,000 square feet of space, you’ll discover art in every medium, style, and perspective imaginable. From paintings to ceramics, woodwork, and entire walkup bars, the museum hosts a residency program and is always expanding its collection.
Roswell, New Mexico: The Spring River Park & Zoo is the only free, publicly funded zoo in all of New Mexico. The zoo is home to a wide variety of native wildlife including bobcats, foxes, and burrowing owls. It also houses some exotic animals including lemurs. Spanning 34 acres, the park and zoo have five unique areas for visitors to enjoy.
Day 2 – I-40 W Fort Sumner New Mexico to Holbrook Arizona
Albuquerque, New Mexico: The incredible Petroglyph National Monument is one of North America’s largest petroglyph sites. What’s a petroglyph? It’s a rock carving made by Native American and Spanish settlers anywhere from 400 to 700 years ago.
Visitors have easy access to three different trails, and can hike or drive directly out to each of the petroglyph sites. Once you’re finished with a grounds eye view of the countryside, take a trip on the Sandia Peak Tramway. This tram covers 2.7 miles and a rise of 10,378 feet ending at the top of the Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest.
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico: The Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum is home to breathtaking Acoma Pueblo. This incredible city has been inhabited since 1150 A.D. and is the oldest continuously inhabited community in all of North America. Experience one of the most interesting historic tours in the country, and view some of the finest examples of Native American pottery anywhere.
Day 2 – US- 380 West Roswell New Mexico to Holbrook Arizona
Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico: You’d have to be crazy to miss one of the most vibrant, lush, and wildlife filled refuges in New Mexico. Although the Rio Grande has been diverted into a trickle of its former glory, this refuge was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and provides enough water to the surrounding lands to mimic the original floodplains filled by the Rio Grande.
There are three different designated wildlife areas within the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.One of the refuge’s most famous inhabitants is the Sandhill crane population that winters in the preserve. Regular guided tours are put on by the staff, so make sure you plan your trip accordingly!
Springerville, Arizona: Cultural museums and sites are the cornerstone of many road trips and Springerville is home to one of the most active archeological sites in the White Mountains. The Casa Malpais Archaeological Park is home to an ancient astronomical calendar, stairways, and even a great kiva!
The Casa Malpais Museum is located in downtown Springersville, and includes a ton of artifacts, tools, and jewelry that has been excavated from the Casa Malpais Archeological Park over the decades.
Day 2 – Both Fort Sumner and Roswell to Holbrook Arizona
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ: Whether your chose to sleep in Fort Sumner or Roswell, the end of our day two Texas to Vegas guide ends in the same place. That means you don’t have any excuse not to visit the stunning Petrified Forest National Park.
The park offers a host of amenities including backcountry backpacking, and overnight camping. If you’re feeling up for a night in the sparsely beautiful, multi-colored badlands, then this is the place for you. As a hub for paleontological and archeological excavation, you may even stumble over a part of ancient history while you’re there. Modern historical hunters should be on the lookout for an abandoned section of Historic Route 66 that runs through the park.
Day 3 – Interstate 40 West Holbrook Arizona to Las Vegas Nevada
Flagstaff, Arizona: The natural beauty of Arizona cannot be overstated, and if you haven’t gotten enough of the visual majesty that is hundreds of thousands of years of geological erosion and tectonic shifting, you’ve found your home. Walnut Canyon National Monument is the most widely visited site in Flagstaff, followed closely behind by Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.
Walnut Canyon is full of stunning erosion made trails and significant and obvious evidence of the former inhabitants of the canyon remains. This makes it a doubly interesting area to hike and observe.
The Sunset Crater is an active volcano that last erupted less than 1,000 years ago. It provides an interesting look at how growth patterns change and evolve after volcanic activity. The best way to learn more? Sign up for a ranger guided talk or hike and talk.
Hoover Dam, Nevada: Hoover Dam was the largest structure of its kind at the time it was built, and it is still a massive site to behold, even today. One of the more interesting aspects of the Hoover Dam itself is the design and color work supplied by artist Allen Tupper True
True modeled his designs after the colors schemes, patterns, and symbols of the Pueblo and Navajo tribes that were native to the region. One of the best places to start your visit is at the Hoover Dam visitor center where you can see his vibrant motifs in action.
Las Vegas, Nevada: You’ve made it to Las Vegas, the cannabis capital of Nevada. Your first stop? The Grove. Whether you’ve already made the sojourn, or this is your first time experiencing cannabis on the Vegas Strip, we’ll help you purchase the perfect flower, concentrates, or edibles whether it’s your first, hundredth, or thousandth experience with marijuana.
The best thing about our Texas to Vegas road trip guide? You’ve got an alternative route back, so you can see everything on our must see list!